Chapter 12 of The Soldier Boy is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Soldier Boy is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN. "Tumble out! Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced. "Reveille! Don't you hear it?"
Chapter 12 of The Soldier Boy is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
From this reading “THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN.”
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading “Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.”
a state of confusion and disorderliness
From this reading “Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.”
(military) signal to wake up
From this reading “"Reveille!”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.”
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading “Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.”
fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading “"Tumble out!”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
From this reading THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't you hear it?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Don't you hear it?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Don't you hear it?"
a state of confusion and disorderliness
From this reading Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Tumble out!
(military) signal to wake up
From this reading "Reveille!
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading "Tumble out!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.
which person or people
From this reading Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Tumble out!" shouted the sergeant, who was in the mess with the soldiers we have introduced.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Don't you hear it?"
Chapter 12 of The Soldier Boy by Oliver Optic holds 124 sentences, grouped into 25 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 12 holds 124 sentences of The Soldier Boy, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Soldier Boy by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 124 sentences, grouped into 25 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Soldier Boy by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3785 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14595 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14595, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 315 minutes of reading across 757 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Soldier Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Soldier Boy to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Soldier Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
